Bakuman 132

I'm baaaaaack~ XD



01
s1a~s1b: briiing
a1: Page 132 Headstands and Reorganizing
b1: ... Akito-san didn't come to bed again...
b2a: Akito-san, good mo...
b2b: Uwah
a2: Get up there, blood!! And bring some good ideas with you!!
b3: What are you doing!?
b4: I... I can't think of any ideas...
b5: Even if I do headstands...
b6: Doing headstands helps you get ideas...!?

02
b1: Deh
s1: bam
b2a: Daaaaaammit! Why!?
b2b: When I write while thinking to myself that it doesn't matter that we're being imitated, I end up writing a crime manga instead of a shounen manga...
b3: But when I think that it's okay to do everything as I've always been doing, I just can't think of any ideas at all...
b4: Dammit! I don't have tiiiime!
b5: ...
a1: He really is bothered by the bank break-in after all...
a2: In that case, I've got to raise his spirits...
b6: Co... Come on, even the protagonist of "Lupin III" broke into banks a lot, didn't he?
b7: ... Umm, that wasn't a shounen manga
b8: Besides, unlike "PCP", it leans much more into the fantasy genre
b9a: I have to make "PCP" more real... I've got to make them do things that really could be done in real life...
b9b: Also, in "PCP", the protagonist doesn't break into banks
b10a: Ah!
b10b: Sorry
b11: ... Something within what kids can imitate... But yet wouldn't be too much of a problem even if they did imitate them... No... I can't worry about that...

03
x1: 4 hours later
b1: NOTHING'S COMIIIIIIINNNGGG
a1: Daaaaaah
b2: !
b3a: Hah
b3b: Hah
b4a: Hey, don't you have some manuscripts stocked up?
b4b: The ones you showed me when you had that challenge from Nanamine-kun
b5: !
b6: You mean these!?
b7a: "White Christmas Daisakusen"... The season's not right... (TN: The Great White Christmas Operation)
b7b: "Mai no Suiei Taikai Bikini Daisakusen"... This one's too early, too (TN: Mai's Great Swim Meet Bikini Operation)
b8a: "Uwasa no Couple Subete Tonari ni Naru Sekigae Daisakusen"... (TN: The Great Seat-Change Operation Where All Rumored Couples End up Sitting Together)
b8b: "Me no Sakkaku Daisakusen"... This one! (TN: The Great Optical Illusion Operation)
b9: But isn't this the one that was once rejected...?
b10a: Nah, I don't have time! If I work on it a little, this might be okay!
b10b: Kaya-chan, thank you!

04
b1: Regardless of the circumstances, he's got to have the next story done by now or else...
b2: Will you be okay, Shuujin...?
b3: *music note*
b4: Mashiro-kun, is the name still undone? You're pretty pressed for time now, aren't you?
b5: Sorry, Takagi still hasn't...
b6: Ah, it looks like Takagi's here
s1: huff
b7: Saikou, how's this?
s2: huff
b8: Takagi's just brought me the story in prose form
b9a: Is that so!
b9b: I'm a little worried myself, so I'll head over there too. I'll be there in 40 minutes

05
b1: ...
a1: ...
a2: I definitely can't say that this will turn out well, but we don't have time...
b2: Alright, it's good to go! Mashiro-kun, please rework it into a name
b3: O... Okay
b4: Haaaah, thank god for that...
b5: ...
b6: Are you alright? Takagi-kun... You look rather worn out...
b7a: I'm alright!
b7b: More importantly, I always had stories stocked up for two chapters ahead, but I've gone through the whole stock now
b7c: So I'm going to go home to write the next one now
b8: You sure you wanna miss the meeting?
above Shuujin's head: hah hah
b9: I have the ideas already, so I'll have you look at them once I've written them out
next to b10: slam...
b11: ...

06
b1: Hattori-san
b2: Hm?
b3: This story is something that Takagi completed from one of the ideas he originally had
b4: Oh? You mean he had a number of ideas already drafted out? In that case we've got enough to spare
b5: No we don't!
b6a: There are some that we can't do because they're out of season, but this one is one that we didn't turn into a proper story earlier because it wasn't that good
b6b: For him to use something like this despite that must mean that he had to fold under the pressure
b7a: ...
b7b: I see. I gave the green light just now, but honestly speaking, it didn't have the same quality as before
b8: ...
b9: I'm going to do my best to see how I can salvage it
b10: You're right, it seems Takagi-kun is in quite the pinch right now, so I'll leave it to you
b11: In that case, fax it over as soon as you've got the name done
b12: Got it!

07
x1: Shuujin quickly used up all the ideas he had stocked up that could be used, but even so, the result was hardly what you could call positive
b1: Draw the name asap!
b2: Got it!
x2: Accordingly, the popularity of "PCP"...
b3: ...
b4: ...
a1: "PCP" is in twelfth... It never used to go into the double-digits before, but this is the third week it's been stuck in that rut...
b5a: Yuujirou-san, "CROW" is amazing
b5b: It's improved even more from last week so there's barely a 20 vote difference between it and the first place
b6: Ah, yeah
b7: With this, he'll really become number one...
a2: If I become the most popular artist in Jump
a3: Please give me the right to end one manga I hate
a4: Well, he may not really try to go through with what he said back then, but just how serious was he...
b8: ...

08
b1: Yuujirou-san, why're you making such a face when "CROW"'s doing so well?
b2: Eh?
b3: Speak for yourself, you're the one who's always pulling a long face these days
b4: I have reason to, with the way "PCP"'s going, but it's odd to see one on you when "CROW" and "GIRI" are both doing well, right?
b5: ...
b6: ?
b7: Wanna get some coffee downstairs? Been a while since we last did
b8: ... Sure
b9: Eh...
b10: The right to end a manga he hates!? Are you serious!?
b11: Yo... You're too loud! ... Only the editor-in-chief and I know about this, so don't you breathe a word to anybody!
b12a: For some reason, Niizuma-kun's now getting real serious about taking first place...
b12b: Even so, even if he takes first place, it doesn't instantly make him Jump's number one author, but...

09
a1: ... Niizuma-kun could be thinking of giving Ashirogi Muto a wake-up call after seeing the slump its been in
a2: !
b1: I've become the most popular! "PCP"'s boring, so let me end it
a3: No...
a4: If he really feels that the current "PCP" doesn't even deserve to be read...
a5: He couldn't possibly... No, but Niizuma-kun is also a fan of Ashirogi-kun's...
a6: But something so unthinkable...
b2: So... What do you think?
b3: Eh? Ah...
b4a: No matter how much Niizuma-kun hates a manga, I don't think he would try to end it...
b4b: In the first place, even if he did become the number one artist, giving him such a right would be...
b5: T... That's true!
b6a: Guess I was reading too much into things, yeah
b6b: Seeya
a7: Which is it? Is he trying to make Ashirogi-kun write something more interesting by himself making "CROW" more interesting...? Or is he trying to earn the right to end something...?
a8: ...
a9: Am I over-thinking things...? Everyone wants to be number one, and that could be all there is to it...

10
a1: No... Never mind Niizuma-kun, I've got to think about "PCP"...
a2: The plot is obviously going downhill, and it's barely even making the deadlines...
a3: With things as they are, nothing good is going to come out of this
a4: The rankings are going to fall even more if this vicious cycle keeps up
b1: *bubu*
b2: Mashiro-kun, have you two got the next story done at last?
b3: No, we're not done yet, so can you wait till tomorrow?
b4: Yo... You're still not done? Takagi-kun still didn't get anything done today?
b5: That's not it... I read it and felt it wasn't interesting, so I rejected it
b6: Mashiro-kun rejected it!?
b7: Yes, I told him to redo it by tomorrow
b8: B... But we don't have time to do something like that at this stage, do we?
b9: The story is becoming less and less interesting. I'm sure you've noticed that as well, Hattori-san. It's showing on the rankings, too

11
b1: If we continue with boring things like this
b2: It'd be the end of "PCP"
b3a: I said as much to Takagi-kun
b3b: He agreed and left after saying that he'd redo it by tomorrow
b4: ...
b5: *pi*
a1: ... This is bad... For even Mashiro-kun to be feeling resentment over Takagi-kun's inability to come up with something good... Takagi-kun hasn't been able to write ever since that incident, and it's not as if I don't understand where he's coming from
a2: But at this rate, never mind the manga "PCP", even the combo "Ashirogi Muto" will... I've got to do something about this...
sign on door: Takagi
b6: ... Still not coming to bed?
b7: Yeah... Sorry...
a3: It's getting later and later... Normally, Saikou would have had to finish converting this into a name by now...
a4: I've got to come up with something by tomorrow...

12
b1: Hattori
b2a: What's up with "PCP"?
b2b: The manuscripts were in late, cutting the deadline real fine and the rankings lately have been...
b2c: They must be really bothered by the recent bank break-in after all, huh?
b3: In all honesty, you can't say that there's been no effect at all
b4a: I guess... They're trying to avoid having their stories turn into real crimes...
b4b: They've been at it for more than two years, why not give them a week off?
b4c: Let them have a week off, to let Takagi-kun sort out his feelings so he can write something good
b4d: At this rate, they may be able to get the manuscript done in time, and it's better than publishing something that was shakily written and not of good quality, no?
b5a: Perhaps
b5b: But when I think about how the two of them were when Mashiro-kun was hospitalized, telling them to take a break would be...
b6: ...

13
x1: The next day
b1: It's getting there...
a1: ... Getting there...
b2: What about you, Saikou?
b3: ...
b4: Please be honest
b5: It's a lot better than the one you showed me yesterday
b6: But
b7: This is nothing more than a rehashing of ideas we've used before
b8: Eh

14
b1: Adding the words "kibou o nakushi" into an advance notice letter, which is a code telling them to remove the letters "ki", "bo" and "u", is just like the battle with Akechi, when we used "ika o toriagete" as a coded instruction to remove the letters "i" and "ka" (TN: "kibou o nakushi" means to lose hope)
b2: Gathering the whole class together on the pretext of going to see the cherry blossoms together, is similar to when they tried to make the three members of PCP less conspicuous by holding a birthday party at Mai's house... There are other small parts here that are just rehashed ideas...
b3: You're right...!
b4: I totally overlooked the fact that it was similar to ideas we'd used before... I can't even remember what ideas we HAVE used...!
b5: ...
b6: But the story itself is fine
b7a: We don't have time!
b7b: As authors being published weekly, you just have to go with the best you can come up with in the limited space of a week
b8: We're pushing that limit right now, so let's go with this!
b9: ...
b10: Did you think this would fly, Shuujin?
b11: Eh

15
b1: I think this is no good
b2: Saikou!
b3: I'll wait till tomorrow morning
b4: B... But... If you wait that long, Mashiro-kun won't have enough time to draw...
b5: If Takagi can do it, then pulling three all-nighters is fine by me, too
b6: Got it! Tomorrow morning it is!
b7: Takagi-kun!
b8: I'm going home to write!
b9: I'll definitely come up with something that Mashiro will approve of!

16
b1: Takagi-kun is already at his limit...
b2: I know...
b3: Actually, I was told that it would be okay if you guys took a break for a week
b4: What are you talking about!? We won't take any breaks!
b5: !
b6a: Alternatively, you could ask Tanabe-san, who wrote the novelized versions of "PCP" for some help
b6b: I explained the situation to him, and he said he would be happy to help
b7: We can't ask for help like that
b8a: Why not...? Because you disagree with Nanamine-kun's methods?
b8b: This is entirely fair and square... Totally different from Nanamine-kun's met...
b9: That's not it!!
b10: !

17
b1: I'm hoooome...
b2: Eh, what about dinner?
b3: I don't have time for that
b4: Eh!?
b5: Saikou's waiting till morning for the story
b6: Eh... Mashiro told you to change it so you stayed up all night to do that, and it's still no good?
b7a: Hattori-san said that since we're out of time, we didn't have a choice but to go with this
b7b: But Saikou said it was no good and to redo it by morning
b8: *pachi*
b9a: ...! Hasn't Mashiro been rather cold as of late?
b9b: Akito-san's been working so hard and yet...
b10: No!
b11: He's waiting for me, and believing in me
b12: Believing that I can do it without a drop in quality
bottom: JC Bakuman Volume 13 goes on sale 3rd June (Fri)!! You've gotta get your hands on this one!!

18
b1: If we take a week off... Or enlist the help of that writer... We might be able to produce something better
b2a: But that's not what all this is about...
b2b: Even if it means my drawing time is reduced, or that we barely make the deadline by the skins of our teeth, I'll only draw a story that Takagi himself is happy with
b2c: I'll give the art my all, and I'll definitely keep to the deadline
b3a: That's what being Ashirogi Muto means
b3b: If he absolutely needs help no matter what...
b4a: In the summer of our first year in high school...
b4b: There was once where I promised Saikou that I'd definitely get a name done by the end of summer vacation...
b4c: Even back then, Saikou believed in me and waited for me
b4d: And despite that, I broke our promise and let Saikou down...
b5a: I don't want Saikou to have to feel that way ever again...
b5b: We're already professionals

19
b1: I'll help him!
b2: That's what it means to be Ashirogi Muto!
a1: Synchronizing feelings...!! Will they materialize....!?
b3a: We're the pro mangaka duo Ashirogi Muto
b3b: The artist Saikou has told me that he'd wait, even if it meant a reduction in the amount of time he has to draw
b4: I'll do this for sure! For Saikou! For Ashirogi Muto!